Loose leaf holder



July 26, 1932. C. v. v-AN 1BUREN LOOSE LEAF HOLDER Filed Feb. 20, 1951 'zznesse-s.-

Patented July 26, 1932 CLYDE V. VAN BUREN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS PATENT oFFlcE ILoosE.A LEAF HOLDER Application led February 20, 1931. Serial No. 517,228.

This invention relates to loose leaf holders, and has for its principal object to providea device of simple and inexpensive structure which will hold single leaves or piles thereof of various thicknesses, and to attain certain advantages as will hereinafter more fully ap- The invention consists in the novel structure and, in the parts and combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter Vdescribed and pointed out with particularityA in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification and illustrating a practical adaptation of the invention,-

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a loose leaf binder equipped with a holding device in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, substantially on the line 2*-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 3-3 of. Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4is a fragmentary view on the same line of section as Fig. 2, with the loose leaves removed from the holding device, the spring clamping element being shown out of its normal working position and partially detached as when being applied to or removed from the holder.

The invention comprehends broadly the utilization of a holder for receiving the marginal portions of the sheets and having spring tongue which is swingably mounted at one end and releasably held at its opposite end, the intermediate portion of the tongue being bowed so as' to accommodate itself conformably to different thicknesses of the leaves clamped thereby, and the holder may be used by itself or in connection with a cover or binder. Ars shown, the device is provided in connection with an ordinary type of cover or folder comprising the backing boards 10 and `11 which are hingedly atr tached, as at 12 and 13, respectively, to strips 14 and 15 which are in turn hinged together, as at 16.

The holding device comprises an angle member 17, one flange 18 of which is disposed adjacent to the board 10 and normally in contact therewith. rPhe other leg of the angle 17 is riveted, as at 19,1011 otherwise secured tothe strip 14, and at the opposite ends of said angle member flanges 20 and 21 are formed, the longitudinal marginal portions of said flanges 2O and 21 being formed with slightly downturned lips, asl at 22. A rectangular opening` 23 is provided in the flange 21 near the inner end thereof, and insertable and removable through said opening is av serted under the flange 20 in releasable engagement therewith but being normally held in such engagement owing to the peculiar shape of the tongue and its inherent resiliency. Adjacent to its end portion which engages under the flange 20 the spring tongue 24 is preferably knurled, as at 28, or otherwise provided to afford a finger grasping portion whereby the tongue may be readily depressed in that region and moved out of engagement with said flange 20. n

Normally, when the spring tongue 24 is disengaged from the flange 2O it is bowed with a considerable degree of curvature, as shown ,in dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawing, so that when its free end portionis engaged under the flange 2O the middle portion of the tongue engages the flange 18 of the angle member 17 and is flattened somewhat,

thereby creating considerable tension in the fastened tongue. In this way the tongue is adapted to clamp and securely hold different thicknesses ranging from a single sheet to a pile of a thickness that will fit between the flange 18 and the flanges 2O and 21.

The opening 23 in the flange 21 is of a sutlicient size to permit the spring tongue 24 to be readily slipped therethrough into place and also removable therefrom, at will, and the rebent or hooked portion' 2 5 of the tongue engages the bar 26 with just sufficient looseness to permit the swinging motion of the,V tongue laterally to disengage it from the flange 20, and yet prevent -the disengagement of the tongue accidentally from the flange 2l, it being understood, of course, that the tongue is inserted with its opposite end portion first in the opening 23.

In the structure shown in the drawing the '.51 angle member 17 which is riveted, as at 19, to the strip 14, is exposed throughout, but, obviously, with the exception of the flange portions 2O and 21 and the spring tongue 2li which cooperates therewith, the device may l be embedded within the component makeup of the board l() and said `str-ip 144. It LisY further obvious that many other modifications in the structure of the holding device and in its particular application in use may be made without in the least departing from the spirit and scope -of the invention as defined by the appended claims. The invention, therefore, is lnot limited to thespecilic construction and arrangement shown in the accompanying drawing. Y

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure -by Letters .Patent is:

1. Aloose leaf holder comprising an open sided receptacle for the marginal portions of the leaves to be held, one side of said receptacle comprising spaced flanged portions, Aand fa normally lbowed spring clamping element Vdetachably and lswinga-bly Isupported at one enden one of said flange portions and detachably engageable .at its opposite nend under said other Yflange portion in cooperaytive clamping relation .to different thicknesses of sheets in said receptacle. I

2. A loose leaf .holder comprising an opensided receptacle for .the Vmarginal portions of the sheets to be held, one side o-f said receptacle comprising spaced fiange portions, one of which is apertured,.and a normally bowed spring clamping element inserted through the apertured flange portion and havinga hooked end portion .loosely engaging the kadjacent body of said iange portion, whereby said clamping lelement is Aswingalbly supported, the opposite end portion of said clamping element being detachably engaged under said other flange portion whereby .the rin-termediate portion of the clamping element is under .tension and clampingly effective for the retention of different thicknesses of sheets.

3. A loose leaf holder comprisingan opensided receptacle for the marginal portions 'of the sheets'to be held., one side of said receptacle comprising spaced iiange portions, one of said flange portions being apertured, and a cooperating clamping element comprising a normally bowed spring tongue oneyend of l which is rebent, .said .tongue being inserted through the apertured flange portion with its rebent end portion loosely enga-ging .the adjacent body of `said flange portion Whereby the tongue is swingably supported and removable and replaceable at will, the opposite end portion of-said tongue being detach` ably engaged under said other liange portion whereby the intermediate portion is flattened under tension in cooperative relation to said receptacle and is self-accommodating to effectively clamp and retain thereunder different thicknesses of sheets.

4. A loose leaf holder comprising an opensided receptacle for the marginal portions of the sheets to be held, one side of said holder comprising a spaced pair of supporting portions, land a normally bowed spring tongue swingably supported at one end on one of said supporting portions of said receptacle and detachably engaged under the other supporting portion thereof whereby the intermediate por-tion lof said tong-ue is placed lunder tension in compressive relation -to said receptacle and clampingly effective for the retention of thereunder different thicknesses of sheets, 4a portion of Vsaid `spring tongue adjacent the Lsupporting portion of the receptacle which it detachably engages being provided with a linger grasp.

5. The herein described loose leaf holder comprising an open-sided receptacle for the marginal portions of the sheets to be held, one side of said holder comprising a spaced pair of supporting portions, the margin-s of said portions being turned inwardly, a spring clamping tongue swingably .attached at one 'f end .to one of said supporting portions Aand detachably secured at its opposite end under the other supporting portion, `the intermediate portion of .said tongue cooperating with said receptacle to clampingly engage .and retain therebetween different thicknesses of sheets.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to `this specification.

CLYDE V. VAN BUREN.

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